


Playing Favourites

by jiminyneesham



Category: Cricket RPF
Genre: Fake Dating, Graeme dresses poorly just to upset Jimmy, M/M, Swanny is accidentally one step ahead, and it works, continuing labonnetouche's tradition of dick pics and cricket fic, mentions of Stubro crushing on Jimmy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-07
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2019-01-10 03:27:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12290229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jiminyneesham/pseuds/jiminyneesham
Summary: The best way to deal with Swanny is to be one step ahead, right?





	Playing Favourites

**Author's Note:**

  * For [joan_waterhouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/joan_waterhouse/gifts).



**India, October 2012**

_Hotel bar, You, me and Captain Cook. 15 minutes. Be there or I’ll hunt you down._

**You always know how to talk me around, Swanny.**

20 minutes later Jimmy is down at the bar, sitting opposite Ali two pots of beer in front of them.

“Do you ever wonder what he’s up to?” Ali asks, taking a drink from his beer. Swanny had stood them up, but not really. They’d spotted him a few times, sneaking his head out from behind a plant in the lobby when he thought they couldn’t see. There were a few flashes from a camera before he would duck behind the plant again.

“To be honest, he’s about as mad as a bag full of cats, so I try not to,” Jimmy says with a shrug. Ali laughs and there is another flash.

“Maybe we should tell him?” Ali says as a plate of pasta is placed down in front of them. They hadn’t ordered, so Swanny must have done it for them.

“Or, we could wait, make sure this is charged to his room and confront him later?” Jimmy replies, twirling some pasta around his fork.

“Is he expecting and Lady and the Tramp moment?” Ali asks. Jimmy’s laugh is muffled by his mouthful of food, but then he answers with a shrug. Dinner passes without much more of a mention of or intervention from Swanny. The problem with beer in India is that it goes down a little too easily, cooling against the sticky heat. They order a second, and then a third. Partially because they are on Swanny’s tab, and partly because squatting down stealthily behind a pot plant must hurt over such a long time. The occasional ‘fuck’ reminding them that he’s there. After the plates and the glasses have been cleared from the table, they stand and make their way to the lift, the squeaking of shoes letting them know Graeme is also on the move.

“I’m honestly surprised he’s not in a fedora and a trenchcoat,” Ali remarks as the door to the stairwell cracks open, and Swanny tries to make a dash for it. He’s never had speed or stealth on his side. The Spinners Curse.

“He thinks he’s The Flash,” Jimmy laughs, rocking back on his heels as they wait for the lift. 

“But he’s more like The Blimp, really,” Jimmy continues teasing as the lift dings and they get inside. There is no doubt they’ll beat him to the floor their rooms are on.

“How many floors do you think he’ll get up before he gives up?” Jimmy asks once the doors are closed and he’s jabbed the button for their floor repeatedly.

“If I was being generous I’d say the 3rd floor,” Ali replies, leaning against the back of the lift, a smirk on his face.

“That is generous, you must be going soft in your new role, ” Jimmy concedes as the lift pings again, letting them know they’ve reached their floor.

“Just trying to find the best in my frontline spinner,” Ali shrugs, stepping out of the lift. Jimmy laughs, following Ali down the hall towards his room. The door opens with a buzz and a click. Once inside they sit together on the bed, there is more space than normal without Swanny weaseling his way between them.

“So what do you think his plan is?” Jimmy asks, reaching across Ali for the remote. The night before Swanny had been in charge of the remote and they’d watched the loudest, brashest and most colourful Bollywood film he could find. Appropriate for him, really.

“Make me look like I’ve got favourites? Maybe cause a fast bowler revolt?” Ali suggests, settling back against the pillows as Jimmy settles on a bad 80s cop show, but at least it’s in English. A laugh bubbles from Jimmy.

“I’d say surely he’s not that daft, but you could be right.” Jimmy puts the remote off to the side. They sit in silence.

“Say you’re right... What’s his play?” Jimmy turns to look at Ali. Ali takes a minute to mull it over, Jimmy can see the scenarios playing out in his head.

“Something like ‘Hey, Broady. This is why Jimmy gets to bowl the first over not you.’,” Ali says after a minute, mimicking Swanny the best he can and it draws another laugh from Jimmy.

“So we need to throw him off, upset his flow,” Jimmy offers in reply. Ali nods in agreement and they fall silent. 

-

The dressing room is weird. Not the dressing room itself, the dressing room in fine. The vibe is off, though. Swanny had mostly avoided them, instead parking his stuff next to Stuart, leaving Ali and Jimmy enough space to spread out. Jimmy is looking at Swanny through narrowed eyes until Ali bumps him with a shoulder.

“I’m trying to see if his head will explode under the pressure,” Jimmy says, his eyes narrowing again in Graeme’s direction.

“He thrives under pressure, you’re just feeding his ego. Broady on the other hand looks like he might wet himself. Have you never been angry at him before?” Ali asks, lifting his foot onto the bench to tie his shoelace. Jimmy drops his gaze with a shrug. 

“Before we go out to net, I have an announcement,” Graeme says loudly. 

“Here we go,” Jimmy mutters under his breath, bending over to tie his shoelaces.

“It has been brought to my attention, that our wonderful captain has been playing favourites!” Swanny starts, turning around so the whole team are getting the full range of his grand gesture. There are a few murmurs from around the room, and a lot of confused looks. If eyes being rolled made a sound, Jimmy would be the loudest person in the room. When Jimmy looks over at Ali he’s leaning back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest and a small smirk on his face.

“I think I’ll present the evidence I’ve-” 

“I know the evidence you’ve collected. You’re not as stealthy as you think you are,” Ali cuts Swanny off and stands before continuing, “What Graeme is going to present to you is photos of Jimmy and I having dinner together. So in the spirit of honesty, which is something as a captain I will expect from all of you, and you can expect from me. Jimmy and I were on a date,” Ali finishes. Graeme’s mouth drops open at the same time Jimmy’s head shoots up. There are more murmurs from around the room, but (worryingly) the confused looks dissipate. Before the questions start coming, the door swings open and Andy comes in.

“Are you waiting for an invitation, Gentlemen?” He asks his hand waving in the direction of the nets.

And that’s how it starts.

 

**Melbourne, December 2013**

Ali is in shock. When Swanny had knocked on his door it was a relief, the last thing he needed was management knocking on his door requesting more media, more meetings and more explanations. The relief didn’t last, Swanny’s eyes not bright and sparkling as normal.

Ali can’t say he didn’t know. He knew it was coming, but he thought he had until the end of the series at least. He could see the lack of joy and the lack of passion, even if Graeme managed to hide it from the rest of the team, he couldn’t hide it from them. Ali asked him to stay, to wait for Jimmy, but he weakly excused himself, he had to let his family know he was coming home. Ali didn’t beg him to stay, he wanted to. He wanted to tell him it was going to get better, but even he didn’t believe that. A captain with no faith is no captain at all, no wonder they were losing. 

He jumps when a hand comes to rest on his shoulder.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. The door was open so I just...” Jimmy says, quietly. Ali hadn’t realised he’d started crying until Jimmy’s thumbs stroke across his cheeks to wipe the stray tears away.

“Swanny?” Jimmy asks, moving his hand from Ali’s face to pull him into a hug. Ali nods, closing his eyes as his own arms wrap Jimmy in a hug. After a year of ‘dating’ they’ve started to know things like that about each other. They’ve been friends for years, sure but Ali never knew that Jimmy talks his nerves out, he always figured Jimmy’s nerves caused him to be silent and stoic, but that’s when he’s at his calmest. Jimmy’s learnt that when Ali’s had a rough day and he doesn’t want to talk about it, all he needs is a hug and a shoulder to rest his head on and that’s what Jimmy is today. He gets Ali onto the bed and then lays next to him, Ali curling into his side, a head on his shoulder and an arm across Jimmy’s torso. Jimmy’s fingers gently card through Ali’s hair, greeted with a gentle sigh.

“I had a thought,” Jimmy says, breaking the silence. His fingers are still threaded through Ali’s hair

“That’s terrifying, really,” Ali says softly, his fingers gripping Jimmy’s shirt gently.

“I can go..” Jimmy teases, making a move to get off the bed but Ali’s arm around his torso tightens keeping him close. He wouldn’t really go, not now, not with Ali like this.

“Okay, I’m sorry. Continue,” Ali says with a smile, looking up at Jimmy the best he can without lifting his head off of Jimmy’s shoulder.

“Just as he’s about to get in the taxi to the airport, we tell him it’s all been a joke. So he can stew about it the whole flight home,” Jimmy says, a smirk on his face. Swanny’s flight leaves late at night, meaning he’ll get back to Heathrow for Christmas morning, it also means they’ll get to see him off after dinner. 

“Not the worst idea you’ve ever had,” Ali admits, snuggling back into Jimmy.

-

It doesn’t take much to convince Swanny to join them for a farewell drink, it never does take much convincing him to get him to do anything really.

Except stay.

They’ve been there for 10 minutes before Swanny makes an appearance, suitcases and kitbag left perched by the concierge desk. He’s in an obnoxiously colourful Hawaiian shirt paired with socks and sandals. Jimmy lets out groan as Swanny parades himself towards their table.

“Did you go out and buy those just to upset him?” Ali asks, motioning down at Swanny’s feet.

“The socks? No, I already had those,” he replies, sitting next to Jimmy, who promptly shuffles his stool closer to Ali.

“Can’t let him be the only fashionista in the group,” Swanny continues, cocking his head in Jimmy’s direction. When Ali looks up at Jimmy it’s written all over his face. He’s smug, he knows even with Swanny’s footwear atrocity they’re going to get the last laugh when his bags are packed into the back of the cab and he’s on his way to the airport.

“What does it take to get a goodbye drink around here, James?” Graeme says with a big grin. Surprisingly Jimmy doesn’t put up too much of a fight, heading to the bar to get three drinks.

“When do you have to leave?” Ali asks, shuffling his chair slightly towards Swanny, who smiles at him sadly.

“Cab is booked for 8,” Swanny says. Ali looks down at his watch. 7:45pm.

“That’s not long for goodbyes,” Ali replies, looking up at Jimmy who has just put their drinks on the table. Swanny takes his drink, clinking it against the other two glasses as Ali and Jimmy pick theirs up.

“I didn’t want Jimmy to get all emotional and sob at me,” Swanny laughs. Jimmy sneers in his direction, not deeming it worthy of a response. 10 minutes later the concierge is approaching their table, inelegantly dragging Swanny’s bags behind her. Ali stands to take the bags from her and she smiles at him gratefully.

“Mr. Swann, your taxi is here,” she says, softly, before retreating back to her desk. Swanny swallows down the last of his drink before heading to the doors, leaving Jimmy and Ali to handle his bags. Jimmy grins at Ali as he takes the bags to the taxi, telling the porter he’s fine to put them in the boot himself. He fights the temptation to drop the cases into the boot harder than necessary.

“Swanny, we have to quickly talk to you about something,” Jimmy says, shutting Swanny’s suitcases in the boot. 

“Oh thank god, you finally worked out that Broady is in love with you?” Swanny says, almost too casually, as he gets into the backseat of the cab. It’s not until he shuts the door and looks up at his two friend’s gaping faces that he realises.

“I’ll take your facial expressions as a no?” he asks as the taxi starts to move.

“No wait! I need to know what you were going to say!” Swanny shouts, head sticking out of the backseat window of the taxi. Eventually Jimmy manages to shut his mouth.

“I guess we’re still dating then,” Ali says, once the taxi is long gone. They’re still standing exactly where Swanny had left them.

“Looks like.”

**Cardiff, July 2015**

“Uh, Jim..?”

“Hmm?” Jimmy hums in response, not looking up from the newspaper he’s reading. They are out for breakfast, a sort of tradition the first day they are in town leading up to a test. This morning is Cardiff. Ali waits for Jimmy to look up at him, but when he doesn’t Ali slides the phone over the paper into Jimmy’s eyeline. It take a moment before Jimmy’s eye widen and he pushes the phone back towards Ali.

“What the fuck is that?!” he whispers harshly. Ali stifles a laugh as Jimmy’s face goes red.

“I’m pretty sure you know what that is,” Ali says calmly, taking a sip of his coffee.

“ _Who_ is that? And is there a reason you are not freaking out?” Jimmy clarifies, picking the phone up and turning it face down.

“It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve seen a...” Ali starts but Jimmy holds a hand up, looking around, then back at the phone before pushing it back across the table towards Ali.

“You didn’t answer the question,” Jimmy says, leaning away from the table, apparently putting as much distance between himself and the phone as possible. Ali doesn’t answer and just laughs.

“Are you going to be my big tough boyfriend and beat someone up for sending me a dick pic?” Ali teases, leaning to put his hand on top of Jimmy’s where it is still resting on the newspaper. Jimmy pulls his hand away with a scowl, turning his attention back to the paper with a gentle grumble of words that Ali can’t make out. The cafe traffic starts to pick up as it’s about time for brunch. Jimmy folds the paper up, putting it on the table behind him for someone else to read. As Jimmy takes the last mouthful of his coffee, Ali smirks.

“It’s Joe.”

Jimmy chokes on his coffee.

-

Jimmy is not being boyfriendly, because they are not boyfriends. Everyone thinks they are, so they have a reputation to uphold. Which is why he’s standing outside Joe’s room. 

He knocks gently, then louder, but doesn’t get a response. Why he doesn’t, soon becomes apparent when the lift doors open and a group of his teammates tumble out. There are a few murmurs, laughs and sideways looks as the groups dissipates, leaving Joe face to face with Jimmy.

“To what do I owe the pleasure? Is it because I’m the vice-captain now?” Joe teases as he opens the door.

“I think you know why I’m here, ” Jimmy replies, following him in. Joe shakes his head a little, pulling a face that is meant to convince Jimmy that he really doesn’t know what he means.

“At breakfast this morning, I had to see a picture of your dick, and honestly it’s ruined my day. I spilt my coffee in disgust,” Jimmy says, not following Joe to where he’s sprawled across the couch. Joe’s face quickly turns from innocent to not quite fear.

“You saw that, huh?” Joe says, his head dropping a little. Jimmy can tell he’s blushing from the pink tint that’s spread to his ears. Jimmy had thought it was a wrong number, Cook and Buttler are close, if you don’t have many friends. Unless he was sexting (a shiver runs through him at that, his brain struggling to remove that image from his head), and Ali messaged him and it was a mistake. He thought that, past tense. The murmurs and looks from the boys threw that out the window pretty quickly. Now he’s thinking it’s some sort of hazing ritual gone stupid, and with Ben Stokes, who knows?

“Listen, even though I just saw you and the boys obviously laughing about it, I’m going to pretend it was an accident and that you thought you were sending it to, I don’t know, Jos or whoever and that you were just too embarrassed to say anything,” Jimmy explains, his hands moving of their own accord, as they do when he makes things up as he goes. He could be an asshole, he wants to be an asshole. He wants to say ‘Hey man, your dick made me choke on my coffee, lucky, because you dick couldn’t choke anyone any other way’, but he doesn’t. He goes with diplomatic. Ali would be so proud.

“J-Jos? Why would I be-” Joe starts and Jimmy just raises an eyebrow. The pair were obvious when they were together, that and Joe has no poker face.

“Is it my face?” he asks, like he can read Jimmy’s mind.

“Yeah, your poker face is really bad.” Joe meets that with a laugh.

“You better work on that, before Broady ropes you into to playing poker again, no one is going to bail you out this time,” Jimmy says, making his way to the door.

“Thanks, Jimmy, and I promise, no more dick pics,” Joe says, as Jimmy opens the door and leaves.

Thank god they’re still dating.

**London, July 2017**

When Ali resigns his captaincy, Jimmy isn’t there. Jimmy wasn’t there in India when everything started to fall apart and there is a nagging part of his brain tells him that he if was there, things might have been different. Jimmy is relieved to find that Ali isn’t upset about the whole thing, that he’s content with his decision. 

Jimmy is also relieved when he finally checks into the team hotel in London, Ali is sprawled across the bed in the room closest to the biggest window. Ali mustn’t notice him immediately.

“Oh how the mighty fall, back with us common people I see,” Jimmy teases, dumping his kitbag in the doorway, leaning against it to watch Ali, who swings his legs over the side of the bed to sit up.

“We were practically rooming together anyway, so Stu was the only one that ever really benefitted from the captain’s suite,” Ali says with laugh. Jimmy rolls his eyes and he moves into the room, moving to make himself comfortable on the bed.

“You know there is a whole room that’s just for you,” Ali teases, mirroring Jimmy’s position on the bed. It’s so familiar because they’ve done this hundreds of times in so many different countries, but it’s also foreign because there has been no other option. Now, Jimmy has a room to himself and a bed where he won’t steal Ali’s blanket.

“Yeah, I know… I just.” Jimmy doesn’t finish the sentence he just shrugs. This time it’s Ali who rolls his eyes. 

“I’m not psychic, but I know what you mean. It’s routine,” he says, finishing Jimmy’s sentence. Jimmy shakes his head a little. Routine isn’t the word he was looking for, he was looking for something more emotionally charged. Something more like familiar or comforting. 

“Okay, you’re going to have to use your words,” Ali teases, shuffling a little so he can look at Jimmy properly.

“I should go and unpack my stuff,” Jimmy sighs, getting up off the bed. Ali follows, standing up with him.

“Don’t be like that, Jim. I’ll switch rooms,” Ali teases, his bags aren’t unpacked. That’s not what it is, so Jimmy shakes his head. Ali’s smile drops a little, replaced by confusion, then quickly replaced by a smile and a shoulder bump.

“Come on, Jim. The boys will really talk if you break up with me because I’m not the captain anymore,” he laughs, but it doesn’t get the response he wanted. Just another head shake from Jimmy. Ali grabs Jimmy’s forearm as he goes to pick up his bag.

“Jimmy, why?” Ali asks, this time it’s him shaking his head, squeezing Jimmy’s forearm.

“Because I shouldn’t be in love with you, but I am,” Jimmy says, pulling his arm away from Ali’s grip. Ali feels his jaw drop, his mouth hanging open. Jimmy doesn’t look at him, his heart feeling like it’s trying to claw its way out of his chest. Ali is horrifically silent and Jimmy just can’t lift his head.

“Oh thank god,” Ali sighs out, eventually and Jimmy’s head snaps up to look at him, confused.

“I thought you didn’t feel the same so I never said -” Ali splutters, trailing off at Jimmy’s smile.

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

-

When Ali finally lets him go, after being distracted at the door by lips, one, two maybe 5 times, he makes his way down the lift to Swanny, who meets him with a massive smile.

“What are you smiling for? Did you make a newbie cry on your way down?” Swanny says with a chuckle wrapping Jimmy in a hug.

“Ali and I just kissed for the first time,” he whispers, as they break their brief hug. He doesn’t mean it to spill out, but it does. Swanny meets it with a laugh.

“You’ve been dating since 2012, talk about evolution of the species being slow. I can’t beli-” Swanny starts to babble, his voice trailing off as realisation dawns on him. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me? 5 years? You fucking assholes.”

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: Anderson/Cook + Fake Boyfriends and 'I shouldn’t be in love with you'.
> 
> I'm sorry if some of these dates/places are wrong. I tried to make sure they were correct, if there is anything that is completely wrong, please let me know!


End file.
